Blackboard's claims in plain English

If you want to read a plain English version of what Blackboard are claiming a patent for, go to the noedupatents.org site. All 44 claims are laid out in simple language in a wiki. Great work by 'noedupatents'! They summarise the claim thus: "We, Blackboard, invented a system that allows students to interact online with instructors in a course setting. We also invented a method that tracks for each user which data files they are able to read and write, how the data files are transmitted across the network from and to a user's personal computer via an intermediate server, and finally the means by which course data files are presented and organized for each user." Absurdity piled on absurdity...... And...I missed a good article on the BBC website that outlines the whole matter, with some interesting comment from Canadian 'Internet law professor' Michael Geist. Technorati Tags: blackboard patent, learning management system, US Patent and Trademark Office, LMS

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© John Connell
The views expressed in this weblog are entirely my own and are not intended to reflect the views of any other individuals or organizations. All sources will be fully acknowledged.